Jakarta. An Indonesian documentary maker has withdrawn her film from the government-funded Melanesian Cultural Festival this week, calling it a “political program” that diverts focus from the real issues facing repressed communities in the country’s impoverished east.

Asrida Elisabeth, whose hour-long documentary “Tanah Mama” (“Mama’s Soil”) was released at the start of the year, said she had raised her objections with the Kalyana Shira Foundation, which funded her project, and they agreed to pull the documentary from screening at the festival in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

Indonesia is hosting the festival this week supposedly as a celebration of the Melanesian people and culture, following its inclusion in June as an “associate member” of the Melanesian Spearhead group, comprising the western Pacific nations of

Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.

Also a full member, but not a recognized state, is an opposition coalition from the French territory of New Caledonia. Jakarta’s inclusion as an associate came at the expense of West Papuan separatists whose own bid for membership was sidelined thanks in part to lobbying by Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi.

Asrida said that in light of these developments, she felt the festival was more of a “political and diplomatic program” by the Indonesian government than a cultural celebration, warning that it could “trigger danger identity politics in Papua and elsewhere in eastern Indonesia.”

Papua has for decades been wracked by a low-level insurgency against Jakarta’s rule. A similar struggle on a smaller scale also continues to simmer in the Malukus, which Jakarta claims is part of the wider Melanesian sphere.

“The people of Papua can see that this [festival] is an attempt at diversion amid efforts to build solidarity in the Pacific region, where the Melanesian identity is the basis for the struggle for respect, protection and empowerment of the Papuan people,” Asrida said. “For the people of East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and North Maluku, the Melanesian ‘identity’ has simply been thrust upon them by the state.

“I don’t want my film to be used to complicate this issue, and I don’t want it to be screened as though it represents Papua,” she added, saying that community groups in Papua had also objected to the planned showing of the film at the festival.

Asrida said her documentary, which chronicles the suffering of a Papuan woman as she struggles to take care of her four children amid grinding rural poverty, was a message to the Indonesian government to focus on the political, economic, social and cultural problems in Papua.

“In this context, to use the film ‘Tanah Mama’ for the purposes of Melanesian diplomacy would be inappropriate,” she said.

Manokwari, Jubi – Natural Resources Conversation Areas Body (KSDA) of Waisai Region, Raja Ampat Regent, West Papua Province, predicted that the birds of paradise, or Cenderawasih, are likely to migrate due to haze.

“Recently, the haze has blanketed the Waigeo Barat forest conservation area in Raja Ampat Regency. It’s really disturbing the population and the survival of cenderawasih,” the Head of KSDA Waisai, Enjang Sopiyudin said in Raja Ampat on Monday (26/10/2015).

He said cenderawasih are very sensitive birds and they cannot survive if the forest was burned that triggered the haze. “The haze could make this endemic bird died and migrate to other place,” he said.

Within a month there are five spots founded in the Waigeo Barat conservation forest but it could be extinguished. He said those fires were occurred due to human’s negligence and disturbed the life sustainability of cendewasih.

Therefore he expected the Raja Ampat Regional Government to actively prevent the forest fire especially in the Waigeo Barat forest conservation area which is the cenderawasih’s habitat. “We also appeal the residents of Raja Ampat Regency living at surrounded forest area to not burn the land area in dry season such as at this time. (*/rom)

The fire points were scattered in the districts of Kimaam, Tabonji, Waan, Naukenjerai and Okaba.

“Yes, if it is extinguished, it will automatically be gone. However, if the team did not move to extinguish, the fire would definitely spread to another place,” he said on Tuesday (27/10/2015).

However, he added, the number of fires continues to decline because of the military and the police.“We can not predict when the fires in many places will be completely extinguished as it is a problem topography of the area and the equipment used manually, so it takes time, too,” he added.

Separately spokesperson of Merauke police, Inspector Richard Nainggolan, said local police had formed a Task Force with 30 personnel to extinguish fires.“Yesterday, members of the Police with Sota police and the local community worked together to extinguish fires in the Sota and surrounding areas,” he said. (Frans L Kobun)

Sorong, Jubi – LP3BH Manokwari urged West Papua governor and staff to be honest and wise in executing declaration of West Papua Province as a conservation centre.

This was conveyed by the Director LP3BH Manokwari, Yan Cristian Warinusi, related steps are being undertaken to prepare an academic drafting and legal drafting of local regulations related to the conservation status as a province.

He further said the provincial conservation is intended for the management of natural resources as capital in regional development which can be managed wisely, not exploitative (no damage), and implement best practices that are environmentally friendly and can ensure social justice and sustainable development.

“I want to remind the governor and his staff including all stakeholders in the region to oversee the launching of conservation of West Papua as a province,” said Warinusi to the Jubi on Monday (26/10/2015).

While, an environmentalist, Joni Tayor, said what is done in West Papua province is normal but needs clear regulations so that what was declared can be realized.

“There should be a firm rule as well as heavy sanctions made. Do not just be a slogan,” he added. (Niko MB)

Based on mutual agreement, the 14 bodies would be buried in a grave at Sentani Public Cemetary, said the Head of Medicine and Health Department of Papua Police, Senior Police Commissionaire Dr. Ramon Amiman to Jubi on Tuesday (27/10/2015) at Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Kotaraja, Jayapura.

He said the bodies in the body-bags identified with number 008, 009B, 010, 014, 016, 024, 027, 041, 042, 044, 045, 047, 049, and 050 cannot be identified. “On behalf of Papua Police, we express our condolences toward this incident and may the families be given the strength and kept in faith,” he said.

On this occasion, he on behalf of the Papua Police’s DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) team apologizes to the victims’ families since on 12 October 2015, his team received a letter from the DNA laboratory of Indonesian Police Headquarters announcing the sample of 14 bodies that previously sent by his division is not match with the comparing sample.“We already knew that due to the condition of the bodies, we could not find a DNA profile when we sent the sample to DVI team at Indonesian Police Headquarters. Until Saturday (24/10/2105), some victims’ relatives still came to see the condition of the bodies, so we let them to see what was it”, he said.

He further added ten days ago, there were members of local community came to the scnene in Pegunungan Bintan to collect some bones for DNA testing, but such test could not be done because those bones have already dried, the cells have already dead to be tested.

Refers to this fact and finding, he said he held a meeting with the victims’ families, airline management (Trigana Air Service) and the Pegunungan Bintang Government to announce the fourteen left bodies would be buried in a grave in 14 separated coffins according to the number of body-bags.

Earlier, Pegunungan Bintang Regent Wellington Wenda told reporters on Saturday (17/10/2015) the location to buried the bodies was not in Pegunungan Bintang but in Sentani, Jayapura Region. “Jayapura Regent has approved and provided the location. Trigana Air Management also provided insurance to the families and the local government is making a death certificate for administrative purpose related to insurance,” he said.

Wenda added the local government has also provided compensation to the victims’ families. “We have provided Rp 200 million and I with my staffs directly visited and met the victims’ families in Jayapura. In total there are 27 places and we gave them directly. When the plane was announced crash, the local government has provided Rp 5 billion and 1 billion taken from the Regional Budget,” he said. (Roy Ratumakin/rom)

Indonesia plans to restrict the sale of a 10.6 percent stake in the local unit of Freeport-McMoRan, the world's biggest publicly traded copper producer, to local investors, the Jakarta Globe reported. The Elizabeth, New Jersey, company is selling the stake in Freeport Indonesia as part of a deal with the government to extend its contract to operate a copper and gold mine in Papua province.

The Indonesia Stock Exchange and the Financial Services Authority are drafting the restrictions, which would allow foreigners to buy the shares "after a couple of years," the Globe said, citing stock exchange director Tito Sulistio. He said he believed local investors including two state pension funds would welcome the plan.

Reuters earlier reported that Rini Soemarno, minister of state-owned enterprises, said that miner Aneka Tambang or aluminum producer PT Inalum should buy the stake. Aneka Tambang is willing to buy the stake but would need some outside funds to do so, its chief executive, Tedy Badrujaman, said, Reuters reported Oct. 21.

Neither media report gave an estimate of the value of the shares.

Freeport-McMoRan plans to spin off its oil and gas business under pressure from shareholders such as activist investor Carl Icahn, according to Bloomberg. It's also reduced the size of its board, while appointing two Icahn nominees to it. Freeport McMoran is trading at about a third of its price in mid-2014, after $9 billion in oil and gas investments in 2013 turned sour amid a drop in oil prices.